Knockdown toy telephone



s. M. FORD 2,806,322

KNOCKDOWN TOY TELEPHONE Sept. 17; 1957 Filed July 28. 1954 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 INVENTOR 5/7as M Ford BY wmam A ORNEY Sept; 17, 1957 s. M. FORD 2,806,322

KNOCKDOWN TOY TELEPHONE Filed July 28, 1954 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR F 4 Silas M Fora ATTORNEY Un ted States This invention relates to a constructive and entertaining toy telephone, and more particularlyto a toy telephone structure in sectional blocks which are to be dis-- mantled and reassembled or fitted to form a simulated dial telephone.

The toy telephones in presentuse are molded or cast models of substantially one piece structure which afford children only the pleasure of turning a dial without other benefit. There is need for additional useful toys which entertain and amuse as Well as encourage constructive thought and training in building and dismantling. The problem of creating instructional toys which will at the same time amuse and keep a childs attention is a constant one that is not easy to solve.

Accordingly, it is an objectof the present invention to provide a novel toy telephone which affords entertainment and amusement.

Another object of this invention is to provide children with a novel building structure which aids and encourages thought constructiveness, effort and training, while affording entertainment.

Other objects and advantages will be recognized from the following description of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the toy telephone assembly embodied in this invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the toy telephone embodied in this invention.

Fig. 3 is a view of the toy telephone with the parts shown in disassembled relationship.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the reverse side of the telephone dial as it would appear in full section from line 44 of Figure 5.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the telephone dial and its mounting block.

With reference to the several figures like parts will be indicated by similar numbers.

The assembled toy telephone herein described is formed of an assembly comprising a wood base having a pair of aligned guide back pegs 11 and a pair of front aligned guide pegs 12 secured in holes in the base 10. The particular placement and manner of fastening the guide pegs 11 and 12 on the base 10 may be optional with respect to alignment with cooperating parts as hereinafter described. The guide pegs 11 and 12 may be secured by being wedged into holes in the base 10, or otherwise by screw threads on the respective guide pegs 11 and 12 and cooperating screw holes in base 10, pins, screws and other conventional fastening devices as desired.

Mounted on the guide pegs 11 are a series of wood blocks 13, 14, and 15, which are provided with aligned pairs of guide holes or passages 16, 17, and 18, respectively. The guide holes 16, 17, and 18, have an internal diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the pegs 11, to allow the blocks 13, 14, and 15, to slide freely on and off the pegs 11.

As more clearly shown in Figure 3, the blocks 13, 14,

2,806,322 Patented Sept. 17, 1957 2 and 15, are of decreasing size with their peripherial edges, shown as front 19, back 20, and side 21, inclined at an angle which produces a pyramid effect or structural arrangement having, in the assembled state, the appearance of a commercial desk telephone. The blocks 13, 14, and 15, are provided with equal sized rectangular cut-out, or U-like sections 22 to provide a space for mounting a wood dial block 23 on base 10, by aligning holes 24 in block 23 with guide pegs 12 and sliding the pegs 12 through the holes 24. In assembling the telephone, the blocks 13, 14, and 15, are placed in the order named by the slippage of guide pegs 11 through the openings 16, 17, and 18, respectively. In dismantling the blocks 13, 14, and 15, are removed in the reverse order, which may be before, after, or intermediate with,

I the mounting on, or removal of block 23 with respect to base 10.

The side portions 25 and back portion 26 of dial blocks 23 slide freely in and out of the cut-out sections 22 of the telephone building blocks 13, 14, and 15. The face side 27 is cut on an angle with respect toltop 28 and side edge 29. The angle or slope of the dial block face 27 is substantially the-same as the angle. ofside edges19, 20, and 21, of blocks 13, 14, and 15, respectively; to create the pyramidal effect or simulated appearance of a modern business telephone. 1 7

The dial face 30 is printed on the side-27 with the usual letters 31 and numbers 32. Other insignia or amusing indicia maybe substituted for the letters 31 and numbers 32. A holding screw 33-fastens the plastic dialing ring 34 to the dial face 30 The head 35 of screw 33 holds flange 36 of metal mounting ring 37 against the face 38 of dialing ring 34. The coefficient of friction between the holding screw mounting ring 37 and dial 34 allows the dialing ring 34 to be turned in the usual manner by placement of a finger in a conventional opening 39 in the dialing ring 34.

Beneath the surface of the face 38 of dialing ring 34 a circular mounting ring 40, which may or may not be formed integral with surface portion 38, serves to support the dial 34 and also provides a housing for the spring 41. One end of the spring 41 is fastened in hole 42 in block 23, and its opposite end fastened, for example, in slot 43, in mounting ring 40. The spring 41 serves to return the dialing ring 34 to its normal resting position with the letters 31 and numerals 32 in alignment with openings 30 after the dial 34 has been turned to cause the protruding stop 44 on mounting ring 40 to be stopped upon contacting, for example, the stop pin 45.

A conventional type one piece receiver and speaker combination is simulated by attaching one end of a cord 46, by staple 47, to the block assembly as at base 10 and the opposite end of the cord 46 onto a hand bar 43, at 49, adjacent the simulated mouth piece 50, and providing a simulated hearing piece 51 at the opposite end of the hand bar 48. As illustrated in Figure 1 the hand bar 48 rests between the pegs 11 and pegs 12.

With this new construction block toy there is provided a novel building block structure that educates,

trains, and furnishes amusement to children at an early imaginative age. The different parts of the structural toy, as described, may be formed of wood, plastic, or metal, and painted in bright and attractive colors, as desired.

In accordance with the patent statutes, the principles of construction and operation of the stacking telephone have been described and while it has been endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, it is desired to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A toy telephone including a base, a pair of pegs projecting upwardly from said base, a series of building blocks slidably supported on said pegs .to overlie said base, said blocks being arranged in superimposed relation and being of sequentiallydiminishing size to produce a frusto-pyramidal body, a simulated telephone handpiece proportioned to overlie said blocks, and a flexible cord connecting said handpiece and base, said cord being of suflicient length so that the handpiece may be moved a substantial distance from said base.

2. A toy telephone including a base, a first pair of pegs projecting upwardly from said base, a series of generally U-shaped blocks slidably supported on said pegs in superimposed relation, said blocks being of sequentially diminishing size to produce a generally frusto-pyramidal body, a second pair of pegs extending upwardly from said base between the spaced sides of said U-shaped blocks, a block slidably supported on said second pair of pegs, said last named block substantially filling the space between the spaced sides of said U-shaped blocks and having an upwardly and inwardly tapered wall generally following the taper of the ends of the spaced sides of the U-shaped block, a simulated telephone handpiece overlying the body, and a flexible cord connecting said handpiece and said base.

3. The structure of claim 2 and in which the said last named block and said U-shaped blocks extend to substantially the same height above said base.

4. The structure of claim 2 and including a simulated telephone dial on the tapered wall of said last mentioned block.

5. The structure of claim 2 and in which the pegs project above the level of said blocks and are arranged in parallel spaced vertical planes, the upper ends of the pegs forming guides between which the handpiece extends.

6. A toy telephone including a base, a first pair of pegs projecting upwardly from said base, a series of generally U-shaped blocks slidably supported on said pegs in superimposed relation, said blocks being of sequentially diminishing size to produce a generally frustopyramidal body, a second pair of pegs extending upwardly from said base between the spaced sides of said U-shaped blocks, a block slidably supported on said second pair of pegs, said last named block substantially filling the space between the spaced sides of said U- shaped blocks and having an upwardly and inwardly tapered wall generally following the taper of the ends of the spaced sides of the U-shaped block, said pegs extending above the level of said blocks and being arranged in spaced parallel vertical planes, an elongated simulated telephone handpiece including, a simulated telephone receiver and a simulated telephone mouth piece thereon at opposite ends thereof, said handpiece overlying said blocks between the first pair of pegs and the second pair of pegs, said pegs holding said handpiece from twisting.

7. The structure of claim 6 and in which the pegs of one pair are spaced apart a different distance from the pegs of the other pair.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 702,615 Barden June 17, 1902 2,327,718 Kassler Aug. 24, 1943 2,475,306 Beder July 5, 1949 2,633,769 Saks Apr. 7, 1953 2,693,362 Ford Nov; 2, 1954 

